Indian High Commissioner pays farewell calls on Mahanayake Theros

The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha visited the Central Province on 22 and 23 April 2013, and paid farewell calls on the Mahanayake Thero of Malwatte Chapter on 22 April and the Mayanayake Thero of Asgiriya Chapter and Mahanayaka Maha Thero of Ramagna Chapter on 23 April, 2013.   

During the calls, the Mahanayake Theros of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters and Mahanayaka Maha Thero of Ramagna Chapter, highlighted the relationship between India and Sri Lanka of more than 2,500 years, built upon a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic ties and Buddhism, brought to Sri Lanka by Prince Arhat Mahinda during the third century BC, being a treasured bond uniting our two countries.

Responding to their concerns about the two unfortunate incidents involving assaults on Sri Lankan Buddhist monks in Tamil Nadu, State of India High Commissioner Kantha underlined that these were isolated incidents and did not reflect the strong people-to-people bonds that have been an integral part of the close historical, cultural and civilised ties between the two countries.

He also informed that the State Government of Tamil Nadu had taken immediate action to identify and prosecute the miscreants responsible for these incidents and that the Government of India, in consultation with the concerned State Governments, had taken and would continue to take all possible measures to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Sri Lankan visitors to India, including to Tamil Nadu.

Kantha agreed that the cultural interaction between India and Sri Lanka had been intense, resulting in constant cross-fertilisation in the spheres of art, literature, culture and philosophy. The journey of the Holy Tree from India to Sri Lanka and back, nurtured by the soil of both lands and sustained through the caring hands of Indians and Sri Lankans, symbolised this exchange of ethos.

The High Commissioner underlined that “In keeping with this spirit, it had been our joint endeavour to further enrich this heritage.” He noted that the successful organisation of an exposition of ‘Sacred Kapilavastu’ relics in Sri Lanka last year, after a gap of 34 years, the visit of the Sri Lankan President to India in September 2012, to inaugurate the University of Buddhist and Indic Studies at Sanchi and to Bodh Gaya in February 2013, the installation of a 16-foot high statue of Lord Buddha in the Sarnath style from Gupta period at the entrance of the International Buddhist Museum, the process underway for setting up an Indian gallery at the International Buddhist Museum and a series of events organised by the two countries to jointly commemorate the 2,600th anniversary of the Attainment of Enlightenment by Lord Buddha (Sambuddhatva Jayanthi), stand testimony to the fact that we cherished Buddhism as an important dimension of our common heritage.

The Mahanayake Theros of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters and Mahanayaka Maha Thero of Ramagna Chapter appreciated the steps taken by the Government of India to address concerns in this regard and to make appropriate arrangements to provide security for Sri Lankan citizens visiting India.

Kantha also extended an invitation to the Mahanayake Theros of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters and Mahanayaka Maha Thero of Ramagna Chapter to visit India, who blessed him for the role played by him in further strengthening the friendly relationship between India and Sri Lanka and the steps initiated by him to enhance people-to-people interaction between the two countries.